Weather News

Revamped Franklin St bridge to reopen

The Latrobe City Council is hoping a heavily-used bridge in Traralgon is now less vulnerable to flooding.

The Franklin Street bridge has been widened, strengthened and raised by a metre.

The bridge is due to reopen tomorrow after months of construction works.

The council's infrastructure general manager, Grantley Switzer, says temporary traffic arrangements will be in place.

"The bridge will open to traffic and pedestrians this Friday but there will be some barricades in place while we put the finishing touches on some of the beautification works around the bridge," he said.

"Total project cost is $1.9 million. With the growth of Traralgon to the north there, this bridge has been used more and more in recent years so it is an important bit of infrastructure for Traralgon.

"Bringing the bridge up by a metre won't, in itself, 100 per cent flood-proof it.

"There could still be examples into the future but for those who are familiar with floods in Traralgon, the Whittakers Road bridge and then the Franklin Street bridge tend to be the first two that go.

"We are definitely hoping the incidence with which we have to close that bridge will reduce significantly with it being a metre higher."